The Chronicles of Change
by niki-the-polkadot
Summary: Sasuke has given up on everything but drinking, fishing and thinking when one day a strange child wanders into his home, soon followed by his foster mother Sakura. This is their love story.
1. Prologue

**A/N**

**Greetings.**

**This brainchild of mine was inspired by a book I read recently called 'The Bone People' by Keri Hulme. You should check it out coz it is pretty amazing stuff. This fic is kinda based on the book but only very loosely as I couldn't use Sakura and Sasuke without changing quite a bit but that's okay because orignality is in right? Anyways this is the prologue and the other chapters should be longer...hopefully. So without further ado...enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto so don't sue...really just don't.**

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Prologue

_What is it that you speak of_

_when you say eternity_

_and_

_Can I come too?_

_

* * *

_

The

Beginning

of

the

End.

* * *

He walks down the street, head high and eyes clear.

His face is kept carefully blank yet there is a shadow of a smile clear to those who took the time to look for it.

The people passing by nod their heads at him in greeting and he nods back in acceptance.

This has been a long time coming and now that it is here he thinks that maybe it is real, maybe it is his, maybe it is forever.

Perhaps what she said _was_ possible, to break free of the shackles that have bound him to this life, to this person for so long, so long.

And he thinks that just maybemaybe she might have been the one to give him the key to unlock the chains when he was unwilling to even look out the window. The juggernaut force that had given him the drive to escape from his unavoidable spiral into mindless stasis.

So when he holds out his hand, and it is gently taken, he smiles.

* * *

She walks down the street her face alight with joy that is reflected in her eyes.

She smiles and waves to those who pass her by on the hot asphalt.

They return the smiles as they unconsciously drift closer towards her, drawn by the apparent happiness she possesses. For she is the light.

She is the light.

She treads lightly as she weaves her way through the crowd and her grin turns feral with a knowing as she watches the people scurry about their business. But then it is gone and the guileless smile is back again and she laughs.

The breeze is cool against her face and she breathes in the seasalt in a nostalgic manner.

She can almost hear the hoarse cry of the seagulls and the keen of the west zephyr.

Soon, she promises herself. Soon.

She walks on for she is the light. She is the light.

* * *

He walks down the street, head bobbing to a tune only he could hear.

People laugh fondly and beckon him close but he only laughs back and continues on his way.

The golden silence stretches out until the horizon and he closes his eyes and opens his ears as he savours it.

The silence is music. It is delicious.

Delicious like happiness.

The hot asphalt sinks as his barefeet press into it leaving slight footprints behind.

His mark on this land. forever?

He smiles at the thought and wonders where laughter goes.

Is there a place where only laugher exists?

It does not matter now for he has seen them. Silhouetted against the sunset, waiting as they continued their strange shuffling dance.

He speeds up until he reaches them, feet blackened with the liquid tar.

And he sings as he takes their hands.

* * *

On their own, or even as a pair, any pair they are only people. Ordinary people like any other. Going about their everyday business with their everyday lives. But together they are something more. They are the heart and muscle of something beautiful, something strange, something that is forever.

Together, they are the instruments of change.

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Do share your thoughts my lovelies...**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N **

**Greetings,**

**This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer ichigorukia4 life. Anyways this chapter is a Sasuke centric one just to let you guys get to know a little more about him. Just a note that whenever the paragraph formatting is in the centre it means the person is thinking. It might be a little confusing to start with but hopefully you'll become used to it after a while. Enjoy**

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Chapter 1

_The skies are blue_

_The grass is green_

_Yet._

_All the colours fade to black_

'…and the poor bugger just lost his case and went psycho, absolutely nuts, I tell you.'

'Yeah, yeah. _I'll_ be the one to go nuts if you drink anymore.'

A rattle of laughter around the bar.

Sasuke clinks another coin down on the bar.

'The same?'

'Aa.'

As he waits for his drink, he casts a glance around the bar. It is a comfortable enough place with a crackling fire down one end and wooden tables scattered around the scuffed timber floors. The evening regulars recline on these chairs in various states of inebriation regaling others with stories or gazing off into the distance, thinking of better places, better times. There is a constant hum of conversation with the occasional bout of laughter and scraping of chairs. Slightly kitschy pictures, that no-one seems to ever look at hang on the wall.

Your regular bar. Nothing special. Nothing different. Safe even.

The bartender sets a frothing mug of beer in front of him. The amber liquid tips precariously before settling. He nods his thanks and takes a sip.

Ahh the elixir of life. My own sweet ambrosia. Why dost thou tempt me so?

'Had a good night?'

It is the first thing that anyone has said to him all night. It makes him feel obliged to expand from his standard answer.

'Yeah.'

'Fishing been any good?'

How long had it taken to get around that he had gotten a boat? Did _everyone_ know?

'Fair enough.'

The barman nods and gives the top a perfunctory swipe with his cloth before moving down to the other end where more curious souls sat, always up for a conversation. At least they co-operated enough to answer in sentences although he supposed that did depend on if they were sober enough to string a sentence together.

It's getting late. Should head back now eh? Maybe. Maybe not. After one more drink. Maybe.

That was what he was here for. A change of scenery to continue the drinking. It seemed lately that was all he seemed to do. Drink. Or fish. Then drink some more.

Sasuke sighs.

There really hadn't been much point to coming.

And the mug was nearly empty too.

_Such a pretty girl_

_Aboard such a pretty ship_

_ Sails into harbour one day_

_ And buys a drink_

_ To forget the storms her dreams bring_

_ When the sky fades to black_

_ The seas turn unwieldy, the drink empties _

_ And she dares not turn back_

I wonder if anyone would notice if I started to sing.

I raise my glass to those poor souls who have taken up the noble art of singing and can trill and warble as well as

any bird that graces our skies and shits on our heads. Whilst I, I shall stick to thinking up nonsense lyrics and strumming my guitar.

Guffaws.

He looks around and his gaze alights on a circle around one of the larger tables on the floor.

It seems someone is telling a story. Or rather a drunken anecdote. Supplemented with an extra serve of exaggeration and hand gestures.

Hey now don't be too hasty. Some say truth lies in exaggeration after all.

…Oh yea, who?

Sasuke blinks. Perhaps it was time to head home. The permanent commentary in his head was standard routine but when he started having a conversation with himself it was a sign the night was going to be a bitch in the morning if he did not stop. soon.

A slender will-o-wisp of a woman is the obvious centre of attention as she entertains the others with tales from work. She is sitting away from him so he cannot see her face but through the dim light of the bar he can make out that she has pink _pink?_ hair tied in a severe bun which several drinks have seemed to have loosened up considerably.

'…And the fucking case just stripped and walked in as if he owned the place and would you believe he still expects VIP care?'

I'd believe the poor lady is short of a few words. Or thoughts. Or maybe just intellectual energy in general. Although it might be the pink hair.

The expletive is used to colour nearly every sentence. A sad expression of counterbalance to the story that seems to be going nowhere at all.

'Then fucking hell Kai chooses to walk in at just that moment and I bloody well nearly had a fucking heart attack.'

Hey, hey take it easy woman. Why do you disgrace the language so? You hate English? If you choose to speak

then do so with some respect woman. Or preferably don't speak at all. Save our ears the contamination. Ah hell the word

has its place but in every sentence?

He shakes his head. No use thinking about it. The woman would not care what a stranger would have to say and a stranger with an opinion, in particular. He drains his glass, slips of the stool and heads to the door. The group have turned to watch him leave. The woman blinks her dazed green _green? _eyes at him and smiles. He doesn't smile back.

'Goodnight,' calls the bartender.

'Goodnight.'

* * *

The tower stands, a massive structure that rises up to the skies, on the otherwise flat landscape. It seems anomalous compared to the rest of the scenery. A man-made error.

'Humankind strikes again,' he thinks somewhat bitterly.

For it is a human thing built from wood and stone and mortar whilst the land around it is wild and free and nature. It stood on the lip of the land that extended around the bend in the coastline. Far away from the ocean to ensure level ground and firm foundation but close enough for the waves to accompany his stringed lullabies to lull him to sleep. For sleep was scarce these days. Elusive as the tooth fairy.

* * *

Sasuke had been fascinated by tooth fairies ever since he had lost his first tooth at age 4, early for his age but he remembered being so proud as he ran to tell first his brother then his mother. His brother had merely laughed before ruffling his hair and returning to studying his scrolls. His mother on the other hand had exclaimed with surprise and fussed over him. He had pushed her off crossly and demanded that she tell him the story of the tooth fairy now that he ready for it. Itachi had always been so secretive about the modus operandi of when you lost a tooth and Sasuke had always been a little afraid to ask. But he was a big boy now. He was ready.

And so he crouched by his mother's feet as she sat on her favourite cedar rocking chair his father had made for her when she was pregnant with her firstborn, back when the clan wasn't always watching with their hateful eyes and probing fingers. Ready to pounce on the first sign of weakness that either of them displayed.

She had watched helplessly as her first son grew up with the warped ideals and poison fed to him from the cradle by those who dared called themselves family. She had vowed that it would not happen again with her second child and when she first gazed into his eyes, she had promised that she would protect him. So far she had been successful, the clan had dismissed him as a weakling that hid in the shadow of his mother's skirts and she was content to let it remain that way. He would grow up in his own time, in his own way. She was thankful that her husband and her firstborn had co-operated with her in that respect. Both were sparse with their displays of affection but she knew they loved him and that was enough for her.

So she told her son the story of the tooth fairy. And watched as he ran off with glee overcome with the prospect of trading a measly tooth for a whole shining dollar.

He had ran to his room where he sat on his bed contemplating his tooth. It had been loose for nearly two weeks now and after probing it with his tongue one too many times it had finally come free of its tenuous attachment to his gums. He studied his tooth. It was a pearly white sturdy tooth. Nothing wrong with it. And he had had it with him for four years now and he was only going to get a dollar with it. No. No, that was not fair. Not fair at all. He deserved _at least_ five dollars for brushing twice a day for all these years not to mention all those visits to the dentist. He shuddered. No, he would have to find a way to get more than a mere dollar.

His Uchiha brain thinking furiously he had deduced that he couldn't have been the only one to have lost a tooth today. Itachi had told him the world was bigger than a billion tomatoes. So somewhere out there someone else must have experienced the same elation he had at the thought of the tooth fairy. And the tooth fairy would have to be carrying more than one dollar if she was going to visit all the children who were expecting her. That's it! If I catch the fairy then I'll be able to take the amount I really deserve.

He said a silent apology to the other children as he stole into his father's workshop that had been gathering dust over the years and collected the materials his four year old self had thought necessary.

Though he thinks now that he may have chosen the materials based on their varying degrees of shininess rather than their usefulness.

That year he woke up eagerly anticipating the easy fortune he was going to make. However he was crestfallen when instead of little fairy screaming her lungs out at him a small coin lay on his dresser table. The trap looked untouched. He cheered up later over his favourite peanut butter cookies his mother made for him but over the years though his contraptions improved considerably the tooth fairy proved to be ever elusive.

Every year he would promise himself to stay awake and wait for the right moment to pounce. And every year he would fall asleep and be disappointed the next morning to find the same dollar coin lying on the dresser table.

Until he turned eight.

That year the tooth fairy stopped coming.

He supposes it was the rather unhealthy obsession with the tooth fairy that led to him search for further appealing yet equally elusive creatures amongst the pages of fairytales. His mother had leapt at the chance to encourage her son in his innocent pursuits of the fey and fairyfolk and had immediately gone to the bookshop and bought as many fairytales as she could find. His father had tolerated this by ignoring the brightly coloured books that littered the nursery floor and his brother and merely raised an eyebrow and muttered, 'maybe another time,' as Sasuke hopefully held a book in his hands.

Anyway he had grown out of it. Shed his love for fairytales as easily as he shed his innocence.

Until he had bought this land.

It was a wild, deserted piece of land.

And as he wandered the sands, memories long buried resurfaced, bringing with them whispers of palaces and princesses, fairy rings and garden gnomes, knights and their ladies. Then as he was crouching to examine a particularly pink cowrie shell, it came to him.

A tower.

He would build a tower.

Towers were normally ominous places in fairytales. Full of darkness and shadows. It was where the princess was locked up or where the evil character dwelled. Yet the thought of a tower for a home charmed Sasuke and he would not be dissuaded by unwilling and sceptical architects. He had designed the whole structure himself and convinced the builders to take the project by offering an unholy amount by means of pay.

But Sasuke did not care.

He had toiled alongside the bemused workers, sweat pouring down his forehead, throat parched, fingers blistered. Tempers frayed and the paid help seemed to change daily but by late February the tower stood, tall and defiant.

It was his hermitage, his place of glimmering retreat. No people invited. For who could understand the darkness that lurked in his soul, the secrets that swirled in the marrow of his bones? No. He was content alone and that was the way it would remain, shaping his future with his all-knowing hands with his guitar and the bottle for company.

But the pinnacle became an abyss and his content life ended. And at last there was a prison.

I am trapped in this place of stone and rock with only my calloused fingers to tear it down.

And I cannot do it.

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**Next up is a Takeshi centric chapter.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Greetings**

**Hokaay so this is a Takeshi centric chapter. Just to clear things about Takeshi is my OC and the kid. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters cept Takeshi**

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Chapter 2

_Have you seen the seashore_

_Where the sun sets?_

_Say to the sea_

_An angel has passed this way_

_-_

Water. It is everywhere. Swirling at his feet, plastering his hair to his head, obscuring his vision, pricking the back of his eyes.

'Why not leave him?'

It is that voice again. The nightmare voice. The one that murmured sweetly in his ear while the hands skilfully and cruelly dug into his arms and hurt him.

'What if he doesn't stay at the bottom?'

He doesn't want this. Not again. To be plucked from the warmth and thrown out again. To the unknown. To the dark.

'You go, I'll bring him. I'll save him.'

Save him? Hah.

As the terror rises in him, he knows in an inchoate way the worst is yet to come. And there are words. Help, but not help. In the dark at the back of his eyes he sees them. Words. But he hasn't noticed the water. And the boat crashes against the rocks and it is too late as the water engulfs him in a cruel, glittering embrace.

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'Takeshi, breakfast is ready.'

He walks in and takes his seat, his bright almost white blonde hair flopping into his eyes as he impatiently swipes at it.

'You should really get a hair cut.'

He glares at her.

'Or maybe not.'

She sets a bowl of steaming bowl of porridge in front of him. Chopped banana artfully placed in the porridge with honey drizzled through it. Just the way he liked it. Usually.

He signs at her irritated.

She laughs, 'yes it is porridge again, now eat up. It's very good for growing children. When I was your age I had to eat it everyday and I hated it.'

She places a kiss on top of his head as she bustles about the kitchen gathering her bag and her lunch.

'I've got to go, I've got the early shift and won't be home until late. Go over to Naruto's after school okay?'

He nods.

She pauses at the doorway and looks back pleading with her eyes.

'Please Kai, just go to school today okay? Please.'

The child stares at her before a smile lights up his face his mouth full of uneven teeth on clear display.

She sighs and shakes her head, 'I love you.'

-

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-

Takeshi waits until he hears the front door close before scraping his bowl clean in the bin and washing it thoroughly. Porridge is all well and good for a few days but he was not going to put up with this injustice for a whole week.

He grabs an apple from the fruit bowl and collects his bag from his room and drops out from his window.

It is a fine day with a postcard perfect sky and just right weather. Too good to be true. Too good to be wasted at _school_.

Insert disgust and loathing here please.

Sakura's face rises up in his eyes. He shakes his head. Fine. He would put up with it until lunch bell. For her sake. And he supposes he _should_ go. It _has_ been at least a week since he last visited the hellhole more commonly known as school.

He kicks the apple core and it sails through the air in a toppling arc before falling amongst the leaf debris on the other side of the street.

He tries to remember the last time he had kicked an actual ball and can't.

Maybe I'll play ball with the other kids today.

The school gate looms up in front of him. Imposing and foreboding the bricks mean something close to hate to him. He kicks the wall viciously and ignores the amazed stares of the other students and the throbbing pain in his foot as he passes through the gates and into the sprawling grounds.

-

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-

Somerset State College was established in 1898. Originally only accepting boys, girls were allowed to enroll from 1939. It was surprisingly developed with rambling greens for a number of sports and extensive facilities that supported the arts. It helped that it was the only proper school in the town and that quite a large amount of taxpayer money was spent on maintaining and updating the school. Coming from a moderately small town most students felt privileged to attend such an impressive school and over the years a small number of students had even gone on to achieve success recognized at national levels. All in all it was an institution that instilled principles, developed intellect and abetted the making of honourable and capable adults.

So the staff could not understand why this child was any different. Of course there was the fact that he didn't speak. But when they had put him in the special care section he had lashed out even more violently and had not responded to any of their aid teachers. They had had no choice but to put him in with the normal classes. There were a few good days but they were sparse and even rarer than when he actually turned up to school. Most days were bad days with the boy getting into fights with the other children and not co-operating with any of the staff and by lunch he would have disappeared for the rest of the day. They had tried sending notes to the mother but when it was clear the boy was not passing them on, they had called up the mother.

Each time, she had walked in with a firm, fixed expression and listened as they listed what he had done this time and ranted about his indecent behaviour, not at all fitting for an institution such as this and look at all the other children none of which gave them as much trouble as this boy. Each time she had placated them, promised it would not happen again, given them a brusque handshake and turned around and left. And each time they would miss the anger and helplessness that was splayed across her face as she walked out the door.

The staff supposed it could not be helped. The mother was not the real mother after all. So it was no surprise the boy did not listen to her. No surprise at all.

-

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Lucky for Takeshi, or lucky for the others, his first class for the day was Music. Unfortunately his luck ran out there. Instead of the strict with her bony arthritic fingers and severe gray bun who treated him normally, there was a stupid student teacher. He looked on with contempt as she attempted to bring the class into some semblance of order.

Silly cow thinks she can control the class. She doesn't even look like she's out of school yet and she's in front of a class trying to teach.

Takeshi sighs. All the motivation the morning had brought him as gone and now he is left feeling as empty as his stomach is. An apple really hadn't been enough. So when the kids get bored at taunting the student teacher and start on him

Hey look at the dumb kid!

Actually turned up to school for once.

What did they have to do? Threaten to cut your girlhair?

he does not resist the anger that roars in him as he normally does and he lashes out on them. Punching and kicking wildly he snarls as the spiteful hands land on him. The student teacher screams and makes an attempt to stop the fight that has broken out. He eventually nears the door and makes his escape and runs all the way until he reaches the stone wall that overlooked the beach. He sits and takes inventory of his wounds.

Oh Kyo. Sakura is not going to be happy. Well at least it's not as bad as last time.

His stomach rumbles.

First lunch, then we'll see.

He walks into the sandwich shop off the main street. The man at the counter looks at him suspiciously but is diverted by a customer ordering their lunch. He pretend to be interested in the display behind the glass and as the man's back is turned he takes the opportunity to swipe one of the breadsticks in the basket on top of the display and walk out as coolly as nothing had happened.

He gnaws at the bread as he walks. It couldn't be past 11 at the most.

We'll wait until school finishes and then go see Sakura eh Kyo.

He finishes his bread and heads to Naruto's house. No-one would be home at this time so he was safe. He lets himself in through the back porch which Naruto always leaves unlocked despite Sakura's repeated warnings. Setting up his makeshift bed, he works his way into the blankets until he is comfortable. He falls asleep and does not dream.

-

-

-

Yawning as he walks towards the hospital, he brightens up at the thought of surprising Sakura. She has been looking so tired lately and today is a long day for her. He skips up the stone path as he does every time he visits the hospital and walks through the automatic doors. As he heads towards the nurses station he has just enough time to glimpse a naked? man before he hears a sharp intake of breath and a hand is placed over his eyes. He struggles to escape from the hold but relaxes when Sakura whispers in he relaxes.

She takes him outside to sit on their bench in the gardens. He snuggles up next to her and she smiles as she lights a cigarette. He indicates that he wants one too.

'Not this time Kai.'

He pouts.

'Did you go to school today?'

He nods.

'Where did you get the bruises from?'

His face twists up with anger and he turns away from her.

'Oh Kai honey you know you shouldn't get into fights. How many times have I told you? I'll let you off this time since they seem to have done you a pretty bad number. Do you want me to go have a talk with the school again?'

He shakes his head and remains facing the other way.

She sighs before saying, 'I have to get back. You go straight to Naruto's alright?'

He doesn't answer as he gets up and walks out.

He doesn't look back.

-

-

-

He goes straight home. Naruto will not be home until 5 and Sakura won't be much longer. He hopes

He rattles about the kitchen in a while. Toys with the idea of making dinner. Dismisses it. The last time he had helped in the kitchen he had short-circuited the electric stove and broken his arm. He supposes that Sakura would not be very happy coming home to a disaster.

When was Sakura coming home anyway?

She had not said.

After wandering through the house trailing his hand across the walls and snuggling into Sakura's bed he settles down.

He sits in the windowseat in the front sitting room with a packet of chips and crunches on them as he watches those who pass by. Once Naruto comes by but after seeing that he was safe had wagged his finger at him and left. Soon after he felt his head slip as sleep overcame him and he slumbered.

He is woken by the slam of the front door. And he knows. He scampers to his room and cocoons in his blankets attempting to keep in the whimper that is to struggling to escape.

Sakura is drunk. Again.

And when she was drunk she either turned emotional and cried and cried and cried.

Or she turned angry and Takeshi did not want to think about what would happen then.

He hears her footsteps near his door but they stop and turn back towards her room.

He gets up, arranges his blankets artfully, drops out of his window and walks out.

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**Next up is a Sakura centric chappie.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Enjoy.**

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Chapter 3

_The sun rises_

_Shines on the water_

_A flash of green, a shimmer of scales_

_Gone._

_-  
_

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sakura groans as she turns the alarm clock off with unnecessary force. Over the years she has learned that an alarm clock destroyed any possibility of the day being a good one. And for her that was most days. She musters the will to get up and shuffles into the bathroom. Shivering as she waited for water to heat up she decides that it is porridge for breakfast again.

After showering she dons her uniform, makes her bed and heads to the kitchen.

She fills the kettle places it on the stove and pours the 3 minute porridge into a bowl and sets it in the microwave. She debates on whether to check the forecast as the skies are covered by a layer of clouds. She decides not to as it seems as if it will clear up soon. It was already early September and the weather was getting warmer every day.

The kettle whistles.

She starts and grabs the instant coffee. She stirs exactly one teaspoon of coffee granules and one spoon of brown sugar into the cup and leans in. The coffeesteam wafts up to her and she sighs contentedly. Nothing like the smell of coffee in the morning. Taking a sip, she enjoys the cool early morning breeze that enters through the open window shutters.

The microwave beeps and she hurries to stop the noise. She never liked the shrill beeping. She takes the bowl out and lets it cool as she chops a banana into even sized pieces and places it in the porridge and drizzles honey through the bowl.

She has heard the boy rustling about in his room in the morning quiet and calls, 'Takeshi breakfast is ready.'

Leaning against the kitchen counter warming her hands with her coffee she waits for the boy to arrive. She follows him with her eyes as he walks to his seat. His hair has grown long again she notes.

'You should really get a hair cut.'

She inwardly smiles as the boy glares at her for mentioning the hated word.

'Or maybe not.'

Moving from her place by the counter she sets the bowl of porridge in front of him. As expected he wrinkles his nose and looks at her with disgust as he signs impatiently.

She laughs, 'yes it is porridge again, now eat up. It's very good for growing children. When I was your age I had to eat it everyday and I hated it.'

She bustles about the kitchen and grabs the leftovers from last night's dinner that she had packed already and stows it in her bag.

'I've got to go, I've got the early shift and won't be home until late. Go over to Naruto's after school okay?'

The child nods and she continues on her way but pauses at the doorway and looks back pleading with her eyes.

'Please Kai, just go to school today okay? Please.'

She waits for a reply but the child simply stares at her before a smile lights up his face his mouth full of uneven teeth on clear display.

She gives up, 'I love you.'

-

-

As she expected, the clouds had cleared without a trace of ever having been there and the sun was shining as bright as ever.

Perhaps I should have brought that umbrella. At least it would have

stopped me from getting tanned. Oh Haruno we have gone all

hoity-toity haven't we? Scared of getting a little tan? Besides who

really cares whether we are pale or not.

That was a valid point. There really was no-one who would care if she was pale or tanned. Ino might've made some remark about finally living it a little as she sported the sun-kissed look all year long even when the sun disappeared for days. She really should give Ino a call on her next day off and organise an outing. It had been a while since she had seen the blonde and it would do her some good to actually go out instead of the regular trip to the local bar.

She looks at her watch. It is only quarter to six. She still has half an hour to go before she has to report at work. She decides to take the long way there. She picks up her pace as she moves from suburbia to the undeveloped parts of town. Finally she reaches the grey stone blocks that line the sands that lead down to the ocean and clambers up on top of them. She stands and watches the ocean tumble and roll for a while.

Maybe Kai would like a holiday to the sea. He seems to like the water

well enough.

She turns and walks along the wall.

As she nears the hospital she drops to the ground gracefully and crosses back to the road, entering the building through the automatic doors.

-

-

Slumping in her seat, her fingers itch for a cigarette but she restrains herself by taking another mouthful of last night's chicken salad. Lunch break couldn't have come any sooner and Sakura was already exhausted. For a small town the hospital had a surprisingly large amount of inhabitants that all needed something or the other.

As soon as she had signed in at the nurses station that morning, Matsuri who was manning the station had told her that room 39 had requested that she attend to them as soon as she arrived.

Sakura groaned.

'Again?'

Matsuri looked at her sympathetically before handing a tray with the standard patient breakfast on it, 'chin up lovely, there's boiling water in the cup and a silver fork in the napkins, use it if you need to though I'm sure you can handle the old geezer.'

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Matsuri who only smiled in return before turning away. She supposed there was no use delaying as she walked towards the section of the hospital where patients stayed.

Room 39 was notoriously known as a lecherous old man who refused to co-operate unless there were female nurses that came at his beck and call. It seemed that he had no family so Sakura taking pity on him one day had gone to have a chat and cheer him up, ignoring the warnings of her traumatised co-workers. Unfortunately the man seemed to take that as a sign of mutual attraction and had taken to only requesting her and throwing giant tantrums until he got what he wanted. Luckily for her he was supposed to be shifted to palliative care soon and hopefully that would be the end of that. However until that day she had to put up with being pulled up from whatever she was doing whenever the pervert felt like it.

She pasted on the biggest, fakest smile and walked in.

'Ahh Sakura-chan come in.' the man simpered as he leered at her.

She hid her shudder of disgust as she placed the tray on the bedside table.

'Oh come closer dear.'

'Nagashi-san I have brought you your breakfast, is there anything else you need?'

'Well a chat would be nice. It's been so long since we had a proper talk,' he says.

And this time Sakura cannot hide her disgust.

'What would you like to talk about?'

'Hmm what do you do in your free time Sakura-chan?'

'I've told you countless times before Nagashi-san, I am very busy with work and whatever free time I spend with my _son_.' She puts emphasis on the word son hoping it will dissuade him from his unwanted attention.

'Yes, yes but he's not _really_ your son so it doesn't matter does it?' the man smirks at her and winks.

Sakura gasps.

'Where did you hear that?' she asks angrily.

'Oh come closer and we can talk. In a hospital like this there are whispers and secrets everywhere if you know where to look. I can teach you if you want,' he winks at her.

'You have no right to speak of my son or speak to me that way,' the man makes to get up and she furiously says, 'come any closer and I will personally cut off your balls and stuff them down your throat, don't think I won't.'

The look of fear that passes over the man's face does little to ease her anger and she stalks out of the room.

The day had only gotten worse. After she had been severely reprimanded by the head nurse she had been given a mop and bucket and sent to clean up an old woman's mess in her rooms as punishment. She was then sent to the paediatrics ward where she made a child cry because she won in cards and when she attempted to console the child, he had kicked her in the shins and ran off. And so it had continued until lunch break.

She takes a sip of the coke she had bought at the vending machine and wishes it was something stronger. Throwing the rest of her salad away she heads back inside.

-

-

'No sir, I'm sorry but we cannot help you.'

'But you have to, I have nowhere else to go.'

'Well there is a nursing home that would be more than ready to take you on.'

'Are you saying I need to be in a nursing home?'

'Unless you have any family members willing to take you on.'

'Look I don't need to be in some stupid nursing home or freeload with my relatives. I have money, plenty of it just give me a room.'

'I'm really sorry sir but based on your health record we can't allow you into the hospital. There isn't anything physically or mentally wrong with you.'

The man seems to give up and walks out. Sakura sighs in relief. She had been told to hold the fort at the nurses station whilst Matsuri was on her break and things had been going smoothly for the first time today until that man had turned up.

He was in perfect health as far as she could see and his health records proved the fact. Yet he demanded to be given a room in the hospital, VIP no less. At least it looked like he had gone now.

She stifles a scream as he walks in again, this time without a scrap of clothing.

'I DEMAND A ROOM OR I WON'T LEAVE.'

I take it back. There is something definitely mentally

wrong with the guy.

'Sir please act rationally,' she says walking towards him with a scrub in her hands.

And then Takeshi walked in. She was by his side in an instant and covered his eyes.

No need for the both of them to be mentally scarred eh Haruno

He struggles but when she whispers, 'It's me Kai,' he stops. After making sure that the other nurses had the situation under control, she leads the child outside.

They sit on their bench in the hospital gardens and she takes out a cigarette. He signs that he wants one too.

'Not this time Kai.'

He pouts and she effectively changes the subject.

'Did you go to school today?'

He nods and she notices the bruises that are scattered across his arms and legs and the black eye that has blossomed a violent purple around his left eye.

'Where did you get the bruises from?'

His face twists up with anger and he turns away from her.

'Oh Kai honey you know you shouldn't get into fights. How many times have I told you? I'll let you off this time since they seem to have done you a pretty bad number. Do you want me to go have a talk with the school again?'

He remains facing the other way and shakes his head.

She sighs before saying, 'I have to get back. You go straight to Naruto's alright?'

He doesn't answer as he gets up and walks out.

She waits until he leaves before going back.

-

-

'Oh Sakura welcome. It's been a while hasn't it?'

She laughs. 'It's been 3 days Marty.'

The bartender pouts and says, 'well it seems like a lifetime to me.'

She gives him a smile and orders.

'A beer please.'

'With pleasure.'

She sips on her drink and sighs with pleasure.

Alcohol flows through our veins as easily as blood does. I hope Kai is behaving himself.

I should call up Naruto. What time is it? God I hope the old pervert rots in hell. What was that kid's name?

What was wrong with him anyway? Oh the mugs empty.

She orders another one and moves from the bar to one of the tables on the floor. Slowly the chairs around her fill up with the regulars and she nods to them. After the beer has been flowing rather liberally for a while most of the people at her table have loosened up and have been swapping stories.

'What about you Sakura?' someone asks.

'Anything interesting happen at work today?'

'Oh nothing much. Well there was this man who decided that he wanted a room at the hospital and he wouldn't bloody leave without getting one but the thing is there wasn't anything fucking wrong with him.'

'Well if I were attended by such beautiful nurses like you Sakura I would want a room at the hospital too,' someone calls.

Laughter circulates the table.

'Anyway I try to reason with him and he leaves and I think the coast is clear.'

'Victory,' yells someone on her right.

Guffaws.

'I was just turning back to my work when I look up and see that the fucking case just stripped and walked in as if he owned the place and would you believe he still expects VIP care?'

There are murmurs of sympathy as she continues.

'Then fucking hell Kai chooses to walk in at just that moment and I bloody well nearly had a fucking heart attack.'

The group discuss this and conclude that the man is a total nutcase and shouldn't be allowed out in public ever again. There is a lull in the conversation which is broken by a scrape of a stool by the bar. Sakura turns to look and sees a man she does not remember ever seeing at the bar before.

Tall, dark and handsome check. Brooding face check. Wow Haruno how could you not

have noticed such a fine male specimen before. At least Ino should

have pointed him out to you.

Their eyes meet and she blinks and smiles at him. He doesn't smile back.

'Goodnight,' calls the bartender.

'Goodnight,' he says and leaves

'Who was that?' she asks.

'Oh that's the crazy hermit guy who lives in the tower by the inlet. But don't worry about him baby, let's talk about you and me,' says the guy on her left.

She politely extracts herself from his hold and says it is time that she got home as her son was probably waiting. The man recoils at the word son and she smirks.

'Bye Marty'

'See ya soon hon'

-

-

Sakura slams the front door shut and unsteadily feels her way to Takeshi's room. She wonders whether to go in.

The boy needs to be disciplined. Always getting into fights and disrupting class. Never doing what he's told.

But he wasn't this bad before. Am I a bad mother? What am I doing wrong?

Her head starts to ache and she turns to her own room. Kicking off her shoes, she collapses on her bed and shuts her eyes.

* * *

**R&R plz =)**


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